Radiographic measurement from the lateromedial projection of the equine foot with navicular disease.
Authors: Verschooten, Roels, Lampo, Desmet, De Moor, Picavet
Journal: Research in veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Distinguishing radiographic changes associated with navicular disease remains clinically important, prompting Verschooten and colleagues to systematically compare lateromedial foot radiographs across 143 sound horses, 60 horses with clinical navicular disease, and 161 with both clinical and radiographic evidence of the condition. Measurements revealed consistent enlargement of the navicular bone in both proximodistal and dorsopalmar dimensions in the radiographically confirmed group, with partial enlargement of the distal phalanx evident in both diseased groups. Age-related changes appeared independent of disease status, with horses aged four years and older demonstrating increased dorsopalmar hoof length and decreased cranial hoof angle across all groups. The authors interpreted navicular bone enlargement as consistent with osteoarthrotic remodelling and proposed that partial pedal bone involvement may represent a regional acceleratory phenomenon—a concept increasingly relevant to understanding how mechanical stress drives progressive bony adaptation in chronic navicular pathology. For practitioners, these findings underscore the value of precise radiographic measurement in confirming navicular disease and suggest that bone remodelling patterns may indicate the biomechanical severity and chronicity of the condition, potentially informing prognosis and management decisions.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Radiographic enlargement of the navicular bone in both directions is a reliable indicator of advanced navicular disease and should prompt consideration of farriery and management modifications to reduce load on the navicular apparatus
- •Pedal bone changes in clinical cases without radiographic confirmation suggest that early navicular disease may involve structural changes detectable on radiographs before full osteoarthrotic progression
- •Age-related changes in hoof geometry (increased dorsopalmar length and reduced cranial angle) occur independently of navicular disease, indicating that farriery management must account for age-related biomechanical changes in all horses over 4 years
Key Findings
- •Navicular bone enlargement occurred in proximodistal and dorsopalmar directions in horses with clinical and radiographic navicular disease (group 3) compared to normal horses (group 1)
- •Partial enlargement of the pedal bone was observed in both clinical navicular disease (group 2) and clinical/radiographic navicular disease (group 3) groups
- •All horses aged 4 years and over showed increased hoof length in the dorsopalmar direction and decreased cranial angle of the hoof, regardless of disease status
- •Navicular bone enlargement is consistent with osteoarthrotic changes and may represent a regional acceleratory phenomenon